Automatic rail-fastener.



G. J. FRANK.

AUTOMATIC BAIL FASTENER.

urmuulon FILED un zs, 191s.

' 1,067,105. Patented July 8,1913.

l/V VENT 0R 'i l w GEORGE JOSEPH FRANK, OF I-IOLLIDAYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC RAIL-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. January 25, 1913.

Patented July 8, 1913. Serial No. 744,138.

To aZl whom it may concern lle it known that I, Gnonen J. Fnann, a citizen of the United States, residing at I-lollidayslmrg, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain ne 7 and useful Improvements in Automatic Rail-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic rail fasteners, the object in view being to provide simple and reliable means for securely fastening a railway rail to a tie and holding the same firmly in a predetermined position thereon, the device embodying oppositely arranged rail clamping members which are movable in a recess in the tie, and which. are normally sustained in position to receive the rail, the said clamping members being detachably supported in position with respect to the tie, so that they may be easily inserted and renu'wed.

A further object of the invention is to provide clamping members of such construction and relation to the tie, and the brackets in which they are detachably mounted that the placing of the rail in contact with the clamping members will cause said members to assume their final clamping positions, the clamping members at the same time supporting the rail and any load imposed thereon, in such manner that the greater the downward pressure on the rail, the more firmly the clamping members will engage and hold the rail in place, the operation referred to being automatic.

llith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan v1ew showing a portion of a railway rail, the end portion of a tie, and the fastening means of this invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the end, portion of a tie, showing a railway rail in cross section and the fastening means of this invention combined therewith. Fig. 8 is an end view of the same. F l is a detail perspective view of one of the clamping members detached.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a 'ailway tie which is shown in the form of a hollow metallic tie, the same being provided at a suitable point adjacent to the fastening device of this invention and beneath the place occupied by the rail with a recess 2, in which portions of the clamping mei'nbers, hereinafter particularly described, are movable.

8 designates a railway rail extending transversely of and across the top of the tie and between oppositely arranged and upwardly extending brackets 4c, said brackets being a1 'anged in transverse alinement with each other and perpendicularly with re spect to the rail These brackets are provided upon their inner faces with open sockets 5 which are adapted to freely receive tl'UIIIIlOHS 6 projecting from the opposite sides of a pair of rail clamping members 7, one of which is illustrated in detail in Fig. t.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the opposite pairs of brackets a. have their inner faces substantially vertically straight, and that the said edges of the brackets, below their socket openings 5 are spaced one from the other, a distance approximately equaling the distance between the longitudinal edges of the rail 3, so that the said brackets thus provide means for preventing the lateral or twisting movement of the said rail. The brackets 4i have their outer edges rounded to their juncture with the tie 1, and their sockets arranged at a suitable distance above said tie. The brackets have their lower portions of a greater width than at any other longitudinal cut, the additional metal effectively reinforcing the said brackets to permit of the same withstanding the strain to which they are subjected when the rail clamps are arranged within the brackets and support the rail and the weight carried by the rolling stock passing over the rail. l urthermore, it will be noted that the outer ends or faces of the brackets terminate a suitable distance from the opposite transverse walls of the recess 2, the purpose of which arrangement will hereinafter be set forth.

Each rail clan'iping member is formed in its inner face with a recess 8 designed to re ceive the base flange at one side of the rail, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. By the formation of the recess 8, each rail clamping member is provided with an upper rail clamping arm 9, and a lower rail supporting arm 10 which also acts as a depressing arm, so that when the rail rests upon the bearing shoulder 11 formed by the upper side of the arm 10, the clamping member will be swung from its raii receiving position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, to its rail clamping position, illustrated by full lines in the same figure.

' In order to sustain the rail clampin members in rail receiving position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, each of said members is provided with an extension 12 forming a weighted portion at one side of the pivotal center of movement of the clamping member, the result of which is that when the clamping members are relieved of the load imposed thereon by the weight of the rail 3, said clamping members will assume, by gravity and automatically, the position illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

hen the clamping members are in the position last referred to, the base flange of the railway rail is received between the rail clamping arms 9 of the members 7, and the bottom of the rail comes into contact with the extremities of the depressing and rail supporting arms 10, the same being rounded, as shown at 13, so as to ride in contact with the bottom of the rail. As the rail moves downwardly, the arms 10 are moved downwardly thereby, until the rail clamping members assume their final rail-supporting and clamping position, as illustrated by full lines in Fig. 2, in which position the bearing shoulders 11 are at a sufficient distance above the plane of the top of the tie 1 to maintain the rail out of actual contact with the tie. In this way, the weight of the rail and the train or load imposed thereon is constantly sustained by the arms 10 of the clamping members, and on this account the rail clamping arms 9 are constantly pressed into firm clamping contact with the web of the rail just beneath the head thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

By reason of the construction hereinabove particularly described, it will be seen that the rail clamping members 7 may be easily and quickly dropped into their places by inserting the trunnions (3 into the Open sockets 5, and said rail clamping members may be as easily removed by reversing the operation referred to.

By reference to the drawings, it will be noted that the weighted extensions 12 of the clamping members 7 have their ends disposed within the portions of the recess 2 to the opposite ends of the outer curved faces of the brackets 6i, and the said portions 12 are provided each with an opening 15 for the reception of a retaining element, such as a locking key 1st. The key 1 may be, and preferably is, in the nature of a cotter pin, and when the said pin contacts with the brackets, the clamping members 7 are sustained in locked engagement with the rails 3.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic rail fastener, the com bination of a tie having a recess therein, oppositely arranged rail clamping members movable in said recess, each provided with oppositely projecting trunnions and each comprising .a rail clamping arm and a rail supporting arm, brackets on the tie formed with open sockets in which said trunnions are detachably seated, and means for lock ing the clamping members to the brackets consisting of a pin inserted through each rail clamping member.

2. In an automatic rail fastener, the combination with a tie having a longitudinally arranged recess, brackets arranged in pairs and disposed at the opposite sides of the recess, said brackets having their inner faces formed with sockets, rail clamping members, each of said clamping members comprising a weighted body having a rail web engaging face and a rail base receiving member, each of said clamps having its opposite faces formed with trunnions, and the said trunnions adapted to be received within the sockets of the brackets.

3. In an automatic rail fastener, the combination of a metal tie having a longitudinal recess and brackets arranged in spaced pairs and disposed at the opposite sides of the said recess, the brackets having outer curved faces and inner straight faces, the inner faces being provided with sockets which are disposed above the juncture of the brackets with the tie,'rail clamping members, each of said members comprising a body portion having a rail supporting member and an arched rail clamping arm arranged above the supporting member, each of the bracket members having oppositely disposed trunnions, the said trunnions adapted to be received within the sockets of the oppositely arranged pairs of brackets, and means removably associated with the clamping members and co-acting with the outer curved edges of the brackets for locking the clamping members upon the brackets and in engage ment with a rail.

t. In an automatic fastener, the combination of a tie having a recess therein, oppositely arranged rail clamping members movable in said recess, and each provided with oppositely projecting trunnions, and each comprising a rail clamping arm and a rail supporting arm, brackets upon the tie provided with open sockets in which the said trunnions are detachably seated, and means operative between the clamping members and brackets for locking the clamping members to the brackets.

5. In an automatic rail fastener, the combinat-ion-witha tie having a recess therein,

oppositely disposed rail clan'iping members movable in said recess, said clamping members each embodying a weighted body provided with trnnnions and having a rail clamping arm and a rail supporting arm, each oi" said bodies at its outer end being provided with an opening, brackets integrally formed with the tie and disposed forward of the transverse end walls provided by the recess to arrange the outer faces of the brackets opposite the openings in the body of the clamps when the said clamps are in rail-engaging position, each of said brackets having its inner face provided with an open socket for the reception of the lkl'lllk nions of the clamps, and a removable securing element adapted to be passed through each of the openings in the clamps and to engage with the outer edges of the brackets and to lock the clamp upon the brackets when the said brackets are in rail-engaging position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE JOSEPH FRANK. \Vitnesses H. M. HULL, H. E. LEAMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1). C. 

